Officials search for knife-wielding man

Tuesday

Jan 26, 2010 at 1:57 PMJan 27, 2010 at 11:44 AM

Beatriz Valenzuela

APPLE VALLEY • Authorities are searching for an attacker who stabbed a man several times during a fight in a grocery store parking lot, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Apple Valley station officials said.

The attacker stabbed the victim at least three times late Sunday night before he jumped into a white sport utility vehicle and fled, Sgt. Randy Gwaltney said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where he is expected to survive.

Sheriff's officials received a call from Stater Bros. employees just before 11 p.m. stating there were several people in the parking lot on Bear Valley Road and that one person was bleeding, authorities said.

Deputies searched the area with assistance from the sheriff's helicopter and located the SUV that the knife-wielding man jumped into after the fight on Navajo Road, Gwaltney said.

The vehicle was impounded for evidence in the case. Authorities recovered a knife with an eight-inch blade during their investigation.

Three people were detained and questioned and it was determined they were not involved in the actual stabbing but were at the location when the incident took place, officials said.

Authorities do not believe the men knew each other and the stabbing may have been the result of what began as a verbal fight.

The attacker is described as a Hispanic man in his early 20s standing about five feet, eight inches tall with a muscular build.

Anyone with information about the assailant's whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Scott Campbell at the Apple Valley station at (760) 240-7400.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at (760) 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.

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